A former Jersey City couple might be forced to forfeit their dogs, labeled as "potentially dangerous" by the state, at a court hearing set for Jan. 17, NJ.com reported yesterday.

Susan Kolb told NJ.com she recently received a letter from Jefferson Township Municipal Prosecutor James LaSala calling the couple back to court for the forfeiture hearing.

The Kolbs were under the impression they had struck a deal with LaSala to hold off such a hearing, which could result in the dogs' eventual death, until their criminal cases had been resolved.

"I thought we had a deal in place," Kolb told NJ.com Saturday night. "I don't know what this is."

Neither LaSala nor the Kolbs' lawyer, Robert Dunn, could be reached to comment yesterday.

Jefferson Township seized the Kolbs' two 100-plus-pound African Boerboels, Jumba and Imani, who allegedly attacked several people in Jersey City in 2008 and 2009 when Gary Kolb was allegedly caught by police walking one of them without a muzzle, violating a court order, in October 2011.

Gary and Susan Kolb each are facing contempt of court charges, which could land each of them in jail for up to 18 months.

The Kolbs also allegedly violated a different court order when they agreed to move the dogs to California, but were found with them more than a year later in their Jersey City apartment.

The deal with LaSala to push back the forfeiture motion was contingent on two points: the Kolbs paying Jefferson Township $12,000, the prosecutor said, because the township has paid to house the dogs, and the dogs remaining in housing LaSala deemed suitable.

The Kolbs say they made the first payment albeit a few days after the deadline and told NJ.com they intend to make the second payment on Jan. 27.

The African Boerboels were recently relocated to the Jefferson Township pound after the Andover facility where they were staying closed.